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Mike Johnson: The New Face of House Republicans’ Speaker Nominee
In a dramatic twist, House Republicans have nominated Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana as their latest choice for the Speaker, defying the expectations set by former President Donald Trump. Johnson, an outspoken ally of Trump in his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, marks the party’s fourth speaker nominee in just three weeks. With a vote scheduled for Wednesday, Johnson is “very confident” he will secure the position as Speaker.
A Pivotal Nomination
Representative Mike Johnson’s nomination adds another layer of complexity to a three-week saga that has paralyzed the House of Representatives. The deadlock has thwarted crucial legislative efforts, including emergency aid for Israel and Ukraine and funding to prevent an impending mid-November government shutdown in the United States.
Johnson, a 51-year-old congressman, clinched the nomination with a total of 128 votes, according to Representative Randy Weber of Texas. In a subsequent floor vote to gauge Johnson’s support, Representative Michael McCaul of Texas described it as “near unanimous.” Nevertheless, some Republicans were absent, and a few voted present.
“You are going to see this group here work like a well-oiled machine,” Johnson assured reporters, surrounded by a group of House Republicans who stand behind his leadership.
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The Trump Factor
Johnson’s nomination was a stunning turn of events, coming right after former President Trump publicly quashed the nomination of Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota. The latter’s frosty relationship with Trump, stemming from his vote to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory, led to his withdrawal as a nominee.
In stark contrast, Johnson was deeply involved in the campaign to invalidate the 2020 election results. His involvement ranged from objecting to the certification of the election to playing a crucial role in gathering signatures for an amicus brief in a Texas lawsuit that sought to overturn the results in multiple states.
On November 7, 2020, shortly after the election, Johnson tweeted about his conversation with Trump, urging him to “stay strong.” He emphasized, “The nation depends upon your resolve. We must exhaust every available legal remedy to restore Americans’ trust in the fairness of our election system.”
Even as late as January 6, 2021, before the certification of the election and the Capitol insurrection, Johnson continued to champion the cause. He tweeted, “We MUST fight for election integrity, the Constitution, and the preservation of our republic! It will be my honor to help lead that fight in Congress today.”
Attached to this tweet was a statement summarizing “our position and the legal analysis that supports it.” Johnson refused to respond when asked about his stance on the 2020 election during the recent nomination process while some of his colleagues jeered at the reporter.
A Speaker Nominee’s Odyssey
Mike Johnson’s ascent as the Speaker nominee underscores the House Republicans’ struggle to fill the leadership void left in the wake of Kevin McCarthy’s removal on October 3. Previous nominees, including Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio, were unable to secure the necessary 217 votes to claim the gavel in House floor votes.
A lawyer by profession, Johnson has been serving in Congress since 2017. He previously chaired the influential Republican Study Committee and currently serves as the vice chair of the GOP conference. Beyond his political career, he is the son of a Shreveport firefighter who was critically injured and disabled in the line of duty. Johnson’s diverse background also includes stints as a conservative talk radio host and columnist.
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